Profile gauge



Nov. 26, 1935. E C, WHITNEY 2,022,628

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Patented Nov. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROFILE GAUGE Ernest C. Whitney, Danvers,

Mass., assignor to Application March 28, 1934, Serial No. 717,786

9 Claims.

This invention relates to conforming or profile gauges. It has for its general object to facilitate the manufacture of devices of this kind, to adapt such gauges to a wider range of Work, and to devise a construction in which those changes necessary to adapt a gauge to the requirements of different kinds of work can be easily and quickly made either by the user or by the manufacturer.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Figure l is a plan view of a gauge constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the device shown` in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of certain elements of said gauge illustrating details of manufacture;

Fig. 4 is a topedge view of the gauge illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a modification.

A typical profile gauge comprises a series of laminations, with some kind of a supporting means for them to hold them side by side in parallel relationship and for individual adjustment relatively to each other while maintaining them in their parallel relationship. For most purposes these gauges can be made in certain more or less standard sizes so far as the dimensions of the laminations are concerned, much of the variation consisting in the character of the base to which the assembly of laminations is secured. One feature of this invention deals with this condition and involves a construction which permits the use of different forms or bases interchangeably with a single series of laminations.

Such a construction is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. It comprises a series of laminations 2, each relatively long and narrow and each provided with a longitudinal slot, as shown at 3 in Figs. 2 and 3. For the purpose of supporting these laminations in their operative relationshipto each other, they are all threaded on a bar 4, of rectangular form in cross-section, and of such a width and thickness that it permits the laminations to slide freely on it but holds them against any substantial swinging movement with reference to each other. In other words, it maintains them in their parallel relationship at all times and notwithstanding their individual adjustability. At one end the bar 4 is provided with an end piece or head 5 which prevents the laminations from slipping oit this end of the bar, and at its other end it has a reduced screw threaded stem 6 on which is mounted a clamping shoe 'I 5 and a knurled clamping nut 8.

As above indicated, this assembly may be used l Y in a great variety of kinds of work when operatively associated with a suitable form of base, the nature of the base, however, varying with the 10 use to which the device is to be put. In order to provide for the attachment of bases interchangeably to the assembly described, the head or end piece 5 is made of a dove-tail form, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the base |53 has a 15 recess or slotl2 formed in it, complemental in shape to the part 5, so as to receive this member with the latter tightly tting in the recess orv socket, and thus securing the base and the bar l rigidly together. Various arrangements may be 20 provided for releasably securing the parts in this relationship. In the particular construction shown in Figs.` 3 and 4, the end piece 5 is provided with a spring latch I4 having a projecting but retractable end a adapted to enter a hole I5, Fig., 3,. in` the wall of the socket l2 when the end piece is firmly seated therein, and thus to lock the end piece securely in its socket. At the same time the latch can readily be withdrawn whenever desired, thus releasing the base l0 from the laminations and their supporting means, and permitting `this whole assembly to be removed as a unit andsecured to another base of a different form.

As above stated, other arrangements may be provided for releasably securing the end piece 5 in its socket, and one such construction is illustrated in Fig. 5 in which this securing function is performed by a machine screw I6.

Such Varrangements as those above described facilitate the manufacture of different styles of prole gauges, and the changing of bases as required by the user/to adapt an individual gauge to diiferent kinds of work.

An important use for profile gauges is found in the inspection of the contours of the tread faces of locomotive and car wheels to determine the extent to which wear has progressed .and whether or not it has reachedV such a point as to necessitate the repair or scrapping of the wheel. Ordinarily three main contours are made use of on an individual road one for the wheels of passenger locomotives, another for those of freight locomotives, and. a third for car wheels. The drawing shows at I1 a typical form of templet for 55 scv special .lamination this purpose, the templet being set into the side or" the base lll and removably secured thereto by screws I8 so that this templet can be removed, whenever desired, and replaced by another of a dierent form. The templet is located closely beside and extends parallel to the assembly of laminations 2. Consequently, when this gauge is placed upon the tread or rim of a locomotive wheel and the laminations are made to conform to its contour, ,a comparison of its proiile with that of the templet may quickly be made and the degree of wear can readily be determined. In using the gauge in this manner the basev Ill is placed against the VerticalY face of the wheel adjacent to the flange, the nut 8 is loosened, and the lower edges of the laminations 2 are pressed down radially of the wheel against its rim, until the lower edge of the templet His brought close to the surface of the rim.

In this connection it is especially desirable to determine the extent to which the thickness of the flange has been diminish-ed, and in order to refer a denite point on the ange toa corresponding point on the templet, a special lamination b is included in the series at a denite distance from the base It. Since the inner face of the base rests against the inner face of the wheel, and the minimum thickness of flange permissible, at least on many roads, is fteen-sixteenths of an inch,this b is located at said distance from the inner face of the base i0. It thus is very easy to determine whether or not wear has progressed to such a point that the limit of minimum thickness has been reached.

Another important point in the contour of a wheel rim is'themiddle of the tread which, in a typical wheeL'is -two and seven-eighths inches from its inner face. Accordingly, in the gauge shown in Fig. 1 another special lamination c is inserted at this point. These special laminations Vmay conveniently be made of some different material from that of which the others are composed, so that they will easily be recognizable. Usually it is preferable to make the laminations 2 of aluminum, or some aluminum alloy, in which Y case the special laminations b and c may be made of brass or bronze so that they will present an appearance contrasting sharply with that oi the others.

Ii desired, the upper edge of the templet bar or plate Il may be graduated in inches or fractions thereof, or in other linear dimensions. Also, the

Vnut S'may be replaced by a special nut 8', Fig. 4,

having a handle to facilitate the location or manipulation ofthe gauge, Usually car and locomotive wheels are inspected at approximately inspections as the point regular intervals, and in order to start successive gauging operations from the same point on an individual wheel during different inspections, a hole 20 is drilled through the base Ill to receive a prick punch, thus enabling the inspector to make a punch mark on each wheel during the iirst inspection and to use this mark in making later from which to start the gauging operation.

While Va gauge of this character is particularly useful for the purposesabove described, similar constructions in which different templets are used may be employed to advantage in a considerable varietyV of other relationships.

The gauge shown in Fig. 5 is like that illus- Y trated in Fig. l except that the templet bar or shown at emay be graduated in inches and frac-V tions thereof, or according to the metric system, these graduations running transversely to those on the bar lrand cooperating with said bar to indicate the degree of vertical displacement of the laminations. This arrangement also is useful in the construction shown in Fig. l. Where additional lines parallel to the bar 2| are desired for convenience in determining the degree towhich individual laminations are displaced, a groove or line 22, Fig. 5, may be made across the entire series of laminations ,and running on to the shank of the bar 2l where it overlies the base lil, so that this line will be straight when all of the laminations are in their initial or zero positions, and the displacement of individual laminations may be determined by reference to it.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is: l

l. In a profile gauge, the combination with an assembly compris-ing a series of laminations and means operatively supporting said laminations side by side in parallel relationship to i each other for independent sliding movement While maintaining them in said parallel relationship, Vof a templet, and means for removably securing said assembly and said templet together in cooperative relationship to each other, whereby said templet may be removed and another of a diiierent form substituted for it, said means supporting said templet closely beside Vand approximately parallel with said laminations.

2. Ina profile gauge, the combination with an assembly comprising a series of laminations and means operatively supporting said laminations side by side in parallel relationship to each other forV independent sliding movement While maintaining them in said parallel relationship, of Va base Vto which said assembly is operatively secured, and a templet removably fastened to said base, the'templet and said laminations being located closely beside and parallel with each other.

3. In a profile gauge, the combination with an being located closely beside and parallelrwith each other.

4. 'In a profile gauge, the combination with an Y assembly comprising a series of laminations and means operatively supporting said laminations side by side in parallel relationship to each other for independent sliding movement while maintaining them in said parallel relationship, said assembly including an endV piece, and means for clamping said laminations against said end piece,

of a baseto which said end piece is rigidly but removably secured, whereby diierent bases may be interchangeably secured to said assembly.

5. In a profile gauge, the combination with an assembly comprising a series of laminations and means operatively supporting said laminations side by side in parallel relationship to each other for independent sliding movement while maintaining them in said parallel relationship, said supporting means including an end piece projecting beyond one end of the series of laminations, means for clamping said laminations against said end piece, of a base recessed to receive said end piece, and means for securing said end piece rigidly but removably in said base, whereby said assembly may be removed as a unit from said base and secured to another base having diierent characteristics.

6. In a prole gauge according to preceding claim 5, a construction in which said securing means includes a releasable latch.

7. In a prole gauge, the combination of an assembly comprising a series of laminations and means operatively supporting said laminations side by side in parallel relationship to eachother for independent sliding movement while malntaining them in said parallel relationship, and a templet secured to said supporting means and located closely beside said series of laminations and parallel with them, one of said laminations presenting an appearance contrasting with that of the others and being located in a predetermined relationship to the contour of said templet, whereby it cooperates with the other elements of the gauge to designate the positional relationship between a denite portion of the work and a part of the templet.

8. In a profile gauge, the combination of an assembly comprising a series of laminations and means operatively supporting said laminations side by side in parallel relationship to each other for independent sliding movement while maintaining them in said parallel relationship, one of said laminations being located between the others and at a predetermined distance from one end of said series and presenting an appearance contrasting with that of the adjacent laminations.

9. In a prole gauge, the combination of an assembly comprising a series of laminations and means operatively supporting said laminations side by side in parallel relationship to each other for independent sliding movement while maintaining them in said parallel relationship, a series of laminations interspersed with the others at predetermined distances apart and of contrasting appearance, whereby they serve to designate predetermined spacings.

ERNEST C. WHITNEY. 

